Question: What should modelers listen to when they are making buildings?

Answer: House music

Seriously though, I needed some lively music to keep me going while I was building this roof. It’s over 50cm (20 inches) long and I estimate there are 1800 tiles!

To make the roof I printed the outline of the tiles onto sheets of thin card, cut them into strips one tile wide and partly cut through the card to represent the gap between individual tiles. Then I introduced some variation in the tiles by working along each strip cutting the corners off of some tiles, thinning the card on other tiles and so on. When I glued the tiles onto the ‘roof’ I applied them in strips of 35 tiles at a time. It took a long time, hence the lively music.

I’ve read that some modellers believe the best effects are obtained by building a roof using strips of no more than four tiles. That must require incredible patience!